As Joe pointed out, the procedures are why there was so much contention the last two years. Now the ERC is supposed to evaluate and look at existing processes, how others do things, and any ideas that we or the rest of the SQL Server community come up with and try to determine what may the best path forward. We have a lot to live up to. If I'm not wary, I may not do my best. I want to do my best. I believe we all do.

I'm wary because it's easy to think, "Hey, we have enough collective expertise to do the job right." If PASS exists to serve and be part of the greater SQL Server community, we need to do just that. And that means we need to be receptive to your input. There's an email address for you to use to give us that input: erc@sqlpass.org. Please don't hesitate to do so. We need you so we can do the best possible job.

I'm wary, because as Andy Warren points out, there's a lot to consider. There are edge cases that will have to go under examination, like the possiblity he cites where PASS adopts a set of criteria that could eliminate all the candidates on a given year. That kind of thinking is important. We're not just considering rainbow/unicorn scenarios, but also the Bilbo just put on the ring again and went evil ones, too.

I'm wary because it can be easy to get caught up on a given path because "it made sense at the time" based on a conversation or scenario but when one steps back, it doesn't make much sense at all. Most of us have been in similar scenarios... we're short on sleep, we're high on stress, and we're short on time, so something needs to be decided and we go with a decision. Had we been better rested and less stressed and not under a time crunch, we would have see the foolishness of our choice. It's easy to get Tunnelvision and miss something obvious.

One of the best ways to combat all four issues is to have your input. To get your advice. To hear what you have to think. So please, reach out to us. Don't be afraid to tell us something even though you think we might not want to hear it. We need to hear it. As I wrote as a comment to a friend of mine yesterday:

I will ask you what you think, even if I know it is likely to be something I don't want to hear. I would rather the truth from a friend who cares than a lie from someone who doesn't.

In this particular case I may not know if you have something you'd like to share. None of us may. So please take the initiative and talk to us. We need to hear what you have to say.